Hope
by elfluvr
Summary: COMPLETE Four. That was the number of months that he'd held his breath and hoped. Sequel to Progeny.
1. Chapter 1

Title: **Hope**

Author: elfluvr

Summary: Four. That was the number of months that he'd held his breath and hoped. Sequel to Progeny.

Disclaimer: Thanks Dick Wolf, René Balcer, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe. I've hurt no one, made no money, and put everyone back where I found them.

Archive: Fanfiction - anywhere else, just ask

Feedback: Please! It's always welcome

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**A/N** – I really didn't intend to do this sequel, but it seemed to be a popular request. **Warning**: The rating on this story is likely to change to "M" for sexual content. If that's not your thing, you probably don't want to read any further.

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Chapter 1 – **Hope**

"_Hope" is the thing with feathers—  
That perches in the soul—  
And sings the tunes without the words—  
And never stops—at all—.  
_

_-- Emily Dickinson_

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10:48.

Bobby Goren anxiously scanned the squad room – again. It was over half an hour since Eames wordlessly got up and walked away from her desk. Engrossed in his book on the psychopathy of teenaged serial killers, he'd felt her absence without really noting where she went. He'd just assumed she'd gone to get coffee.

"Alright, Goren," he heard the captain's voice. "Tell me what's going on."

"Uh …" Bobby looked up and tried to focus on him instead of wondering about Eames. Deakins' replacement still had a way of sneaking up on him – like stealth attacks. Goren had yet to figure out a comfortable rhythm with their new boss.

"What's going on with, um … what?" he stalled, worried that his recently heightened awareness of Alex was apparent to everyone.

The captain blew out a breath in exasperation and that's when Goren realized that he too felt the instability of their working relationship. Deakins' calm assurance and understanding of Goren's quirks were sorely missed.

"The Sawyer case … you know, what you and Eames have been working on for the past week," the captain was trying to sound patient. "What's going on?"

"Oh …" Somehow he felt like he just dodged a bullet. "Well, we … we pulled his DMV record … nothing more than a few parking tickets. But his school records show an … an extended period of absence around the time …" and his voice trailed off as the two men turned to acknowledge Eames' return. She gave a tight-lipped smile and a nodded greeting to the captain.

"Don't let me stop you." Her words were vaguely directed at Bobby, but she kept her eyes averted as she rolled her chair away from her desk and sat down in front of her laptop.

"Absence around the time … ?" the captain prompted, interrupting Bobby's study of Alex.

Goren forced his attention back to the conversation surrounding their current case. "Yeah, well …" he started pulling papers from file folders, pointing out notations and dates to the captain. "See, here … these dates coincide with the … the time of the first two killings …" and his voice droned on of its own accord while his mind desperately wished he could read Alex's thoughts.

"Keep at it you two," the captain encouraged. "And let me know if you find anything more to tie this kid to the killings – something substantial enough to get a search warrant." It wasn't anything Deakins wouldn't have said to them, but something about the words felt like a rebuke, and the seasoned detective in Goren bristled at the perceived criticism. He really needed to figure out how to work with the new guy without being so defensive.

As soon as the captain walked into his office, Bobby turned to his partner. "Eames …"

"Not now," she said softly and finally looked at him. Her eyes were dry but red-rimmed and Bobby's heart sank in disappointment. "Not here, please Bobby." Nodding wordlessly, he tried staring at the papers on his desk as he listened to Alex tapping away at her laptop. The pages in front of him started to blur and he abruptly stood up to go and get a cup of coffee.

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Four. That was the number of months that he'd held his breath and hoped. The first one wasn't so bad, nothing to panic about. The second, Alex had been visibly disappointed but they both joked about having to try harder and, honestly, neither one of them had complained about the extra effort. When month three still produced no success, they both grew quiet for a day – retreating into themselves, each secretly fearing that it was their fault.

This was number four. Judging by Alex's mood and appearance, there again would be nothing to celebrate – nothing to anticipate nine months down the road. God, he never expected this to be so hard emotionally. Especially considering the circumstances of the whole thing.

When Alex – his friend and work partner – first approached him with her request to have his child, he should have been appalled, or at least shocked that she would ask such a thing of him.

But even more surprising than his lack of shock at her request had been his quick acceptance of the idea. It had taken only a minimal argument and a teary-eyed plea for him to agree.

Granted, over the years their relationship at times was charged with an underlying tension. And somewhere along the way Bobby had begun to notice how sexy she looked wearing red – how sensual her voice sounded when he woke her after a couple hours sleep on an all-night stake out. He would find himself touching her arm or shoulder during a conversation, or guiding her with a hand at the small of her back, enjoying the excuses for establishing a physical connection with her.

Even so, the reasoning behind going from a secret and forbidden longing to the passionate, physical relationship in which they now found themselves was far outside the boundaries of conventional thinking. And the suddenness of the change should have left Bobby reeling off-balance, questioning both his and her sanity. Instead, he'd never felt more content and at peace with any relationship.

Not that he could really call this a relationship – not even in the most liberal of definitions. Sure, they'd confessed their love for one another and about that Bobby had no doubts. But Alex still seemed to be treating this as more of … an arrangement. After that first night with its candle-lit dinner and tension-filled cab ride back to her apartment, nothing else really felt like a date. They just seemed to wind up at his place or hers. And almost invariably if it was his, Alex got up to leave before morning saying everything she needed for work the next day was at her apartment. He once broached the subject of her leaving a few things at his place, but her response made it clear he shouldn't raise the issue again.

Worse, she wouldn't talk about what was going to happen after she got pregnant. It hadn't taken Bobby long to realize that he would want a place in this child's life – preferably as the legal father and husband to the woman who would bear its life into the world. That wasn't part of the original deal, he knew that. But he had become so sure of it himself that he had no doubt Alex wanted the same thing.

The subject had been at the heart of the one major argument they'd had since Alex first told him, 'I want to have a child.'

_TBC …_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER RATED "M" for Explicit Sex - I am seriously warning you**

Chapter 2 - **Hope**

It was just about three weeks ago, a short time after their third disappointment.

Bobby lay on his back in total contentment. Alex was in his arms, her body molded against his with her warm breath caressing the skin and hair on his chest. Her leg was draped across his pelvis and her wet heat was snugged up against his hip. Although not as hard as he had been, he was slowly rocking against her thigh and knew it wouldn't be long before he again wanted her wrapped around him – hot and panting, crying out for him.

He rolled his head to kiss her forehead and that's when he felt the hot tears on his chest.

"Alex?" he panicked. He leaned away from her and brought his hand up to the side of her face to tilt her head so he could look into her eyes. "Wha- what's the matter? Did I hurt you?" Bobby knew he sometimes became desperate in the throes of his orgasms and he was worried he'd been too physical for her – that he had somehow hurt her in his need to bury himself as deeply as possible.

Alex shook her head and swallowed hard. "No," she sniffed and tried to hide her face back on his chest. Bobby's hand spanned from her chin to her temple and he brought her eyes back up to his.

"Then what's wrong?" he studied her, trying to understand why she was crying – trying to remember what he might have done to hurt her.

"I've been so unfair to you," she whispered as a fat tear rolled down her cheek

Bobby frowned at her and swiped the tear away with his thumb. "About what?"

"All of this. Asking you for something I had no right …" she gulped air and her tears now flowed more quickly than his thumb could erase them. He leaned down to kiss them away before finally letting her bury her face against his chest.

"Where is this coming from?" he whispered into her ear and kissed her hair. Smoothing his hand up and down her back to soothe her, Bobby thought that maybe he understood why she was so upset. "Yes, Alex, you asked for this. But ... I'm not giving anything I don't want to," and he again tipped her head back so he could see her teary eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, you didn't need to force me for any of this," he gave her a quick, gentle kiss. "And ... that night with the handcuffs doesn't count," he grinned.

Alex gave him a shaky smile then playfully smacked his shoulder and started struggling against him. "I can't believe you said that!"

Bobby grabbed her wrists and rolled to pin her beneath him. Holding her hands above her head, he felt her breasts rise and fall against his chest with each rapid breath. He licked the remainder of her tears from her cheeks then rocked his hips against her so she could feel just how much he wanted this.

Her eyes darkened with need and fluttered closed as she arched in response to his hard flesh pressed into her stomach. "Bobby …" she breathed.

He moaned and slid down her body so that one peaked nipple was perfectly aligned with his mouth. Bobby tongued at the hard tip then swirled around it before taking it between his lips to suck and nip until it grew even harder. Alex gasped and flexed up into him, encouraging him to suck her deeper into the wet warmth of his mouth.

She was tugging against his grip on her wrists and he released her. One hand slid into his hair to hold his head against her breast while her other hand gripped his bicep, flexed where he supported his weight above her.

With the lightest of pressure on his scalp, Alex guided his mouth to her other breast and Bobby gladly repeated his ministrations to make up for his neglect. Her hips rocked into his abdomen and he groaned against her breast before slowly pulling away from her, using suction to pull her nipple along his teeth and lips before releasing her.

Her torso was now the pallet for his tongue and Bobby painted a twisting, swirling pattern down her ribs, across her waist, into her navel, then across her pelvis and along the crease where her leg joined her hip. Alex's hand on his scalp was all but pleading for him to go where she wanted, but Bobby brutally refused, using his lips and tongue to tease the soft, tender skin on the inside of her thighs.

"Please … Bobby …" When her gasps finally started to beg, he raised her thighs over his shoulders and gave in to what they both wanted.

She cried out at the first touch of his tongue against her and when she tried to lift her hips off the bed, Bobby pressed her back down with one arm levered across her pelvis. He flattened his tongue and stroked her, then sucked and tugged at her sensitive flesh. All the while, Alex whimpered and moaned – breathing his name, her pleas, and her love of God and all the saints in heaven.

When Bobby felt her heels dig into his back and the strength of her legs and hips begin to overpower his one arm across her pelvis, he took full advantage and brought her to screaming orgasm as she trembled against him and her hands fisted the sheets beneath her.

Her body weakly relaxed into the bed and her hoarse whispering of his name was Bobby's undoing. He needed to be inside her, to feel her pressed against him with her moist breath panting on his neck and her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

Bobby raised up above her. "Alex." He needed to see her eyes. He had to make sure she wanted this as much as he. And when saw his own passion reflected in brown eyes more golden than his, he pressed his hard flesh forward into tight, welcoming heat.

Groaning in pure pleasure, he pulled out then slowly plunged forward, repeating the sensation of entering her. Alex whimpered and wrapped an arm around his waist, denying another attempt to totally withdraw from her. Bobby kissed her temple and settled into a slow rhythm of forward and backward thrusts – Alex matching his every move.

She gently nipped the soft skin behind his ear then licked to soothe the bite. Moving further down, Alex caught the sensitive area where his neck met his shoulder, again using her tongue to soothe where her teeth had marked him.

Bobby grunted and thrust harder against her in response to the small pain of her bites. He was beginning to tighten and couldn't hold out much longer for her. Alex moaned when he slid his hand beneath her hips to find the angle he knew brought her the most pleasure.

Keening and gasping with each thrust, Alex's eyes were tightly closed and her fingers dug into the small of his back. Never in his life had Bobby experienced anything like lovemaking with Alex. She gave as much as she took, and all of it exquisite. _No more. I can't hold out any more._

"Oh, god … I'm com- …" he croaked as his body tensed and he buried himself in her, shouting his release and filling her with his wet warmth. Alex cried out long and loud as her body bowed up to him and her nails dug small crescents into his back. Panting against her ear, he continued to rock into her as she rode out the waves of an extended orgasm.

Exhausted and still joined with her, Bobby rolled to his side. He kissed the damp hair at her temple and buried his face in the crook of her neck to breathe in her scent – hot sex, clean sweat and all Alex.

"I love you, Alex," he murmured against her skin. "Marry me."

And that's when all hell broke loose.

_TBC …_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - **Hope**

Suddenly the totally sated and languid woman beneath him disappeared and was replaced by an energetic hellcat, squirming and pushing against him.

"Get…" she shoved hard against his shoulders. "Move, Bobby!"

Stunned, he let go of her and raised up on his arms. Alex quickly slid out from under him and off the bed. Snatching his dress shirt off the floor, she shrugged into it and tried buttoning the front, but her hands were lost in the long sleeves. She was left struggling against the extra fabric.

"Alex… what…?"

Frustrated, she gave up on the buttons and let the shirt hang open, the bottom edges stopping just above her knees. "How dare you ask me to marry you!"

"WHAT?"

"You heard me!" He'd never seen Alex so angry. "You can't ask that!"

"Whoa whoa whoa… back up," Bobby's own temper was starting to rise and he got up off the bed to stand in front of her. "It… it's okay for you to ask me to father a child, but... I can't ask you to marry me?"

She hesitated a second. "They're totally different," she snapped unreasonably.

"Diff-…?" So this was how she was going to play this argument – illogically. "They're at least _related_," he hoped that sounded as sarcastic to her as it did to him.

Alex brought her hands up to her hips, still buried in the sleeves. "Tell me something. Would you be asking me to marry you if I hadn't told you I wanted a child?"

"I… ah…" he didn't know what to say to that. Hell, he wouldn't even be sleeping with her if she hadn't told him she wanted a child. That didn't mean it wasn't what he wanted all along.

"That wasn't part of the deal, Bobby," her eyes flashed with what he saw as triumph and all that did was piss him off.

"Deal?" Okay, so he'd used the same term inside his own head to try and understand whatever this was between them, but hearing her say it was so much worse. "Is that all this is to you… a deal? What do you think we've been doing these past three months? Because I don't know about you, but I've been making love, not fucking!"

She flinched at the vehemence of his vulgarity. "This isn't about you and me, this is about my child," she replied with a little less heat.

"_Your_ child?" And he knew in his head that she was right – that was where it all began the day she first asked him. But in his heart it had become so much more to him. He was hurt to think that she considered it nothing more than a physical process for her to get pregnant. Hurt and angry.

"Maybe I should be charging stud fees!"

He caught her wrist before her palm could connect with his face. In a move that was part dance and part self-defense, he spun her so her back was to him and gathered her against his chest in a tight embrace that pinned her arms at her side. It took Alex a split second to begin fighting.

"Please, Alex," he started pleading. _God, he couldn't believe he said that._ "Alex… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" She struggled against his much larger, stronger body, but the best she could manage was to kick his shins with her heels. All he could do was hold on until the storm passed. "I didn't mean it… I'm sorry… please…" he begged against her hair. Alex cried out in frustration and gave a hard kick to his right shin. "Alex… " he grunted. Gasping with exertion she continued to twist her body, trying to wrench herself free from his iron grip. But Bobby was determined and Alex was starting to tire. "Please forgive me…" he murmured in her ear. "Forgive me…" his lips whispered against her temple. Her fury all but spent, Alex began to relax in his arms. "I didn't mean it… " She was breathing hard, but all the fight had left her and Bobby loosened his grip. "I didn't mean it…" He let go of her entirely and she slid from his arms. Closing his eyes, he hooked both hands tightly behind his neck – angry at himself for his words. Angry at her for bringing them out of him. "Ahh God, you drive me crazy."

Alex walked away from him and sat on the edge of the bed. She raised a hand to wipe the hair out of her face with shaking fingers.

She looked so weak and fragile. "Alex …"

"Please… Bobby," her voice shook with emotion. "I don't want to talk about this."

"But I want to talk about it… it's important."

"Bobby! I don't want to fight!"

Her temper dispelled any illusions he may have had about her being weak. "What do you mean you don't want to fight? You started it!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!" _Well, great… that sounded like a four year old._

Alex turned her head away from him and he could see her shoulders shaking. _Wonderful. Now he'd made her cry. Why couldn't women fight fair?_

"Alex…"

And then he heard it. Laughter. Hysterical, tears-rolling-down-your-face, gut-splitting laughter. Alex was laughing so hard she rolled onto her side on the bed, clutching her stomach as all her emotions came spilling out in that ringing sound. Bobby fought to keep a smile from tugging at the corners of his mouth, but he couldn't help it. He loved that sound.

"_Did too_?" she gasped while trying to sit back up on the bed. "How _old_ are you?"

He'd known it was bad when it came out of his mouth – he'd hoped she wouldn't notice. No such luck.

The absurdity of the whole situation struck him. Here he stood totally naked. There she sat with his over-sized shirt gaping wide open in front and not really hiding anything. He wanted marriage, she only wanted children. He was madly in love with her to the point he thought he would burst with it. She was… he didn't know anymore.

As her laughter died, Bobby sobered. For long moments neither spoke, nor moved. Dark brown eyes full of hurt and confusion looked into golden brown pain.

"Bobby, sit down here," Alex said softly. He hesitated only a second before doing as she asked. "Listen to me. Just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay," his low voice was now calm.

She took a deep breath and blew it out before speaking. "I've known for a long time that I'm in love with you," her voice was soft, but certain. "And I… I knew you cared – it was in everything you did for me. That's what gave me the strength to come to you. If nothing else, I knew you wouldn't hurt me and I knew you wouldn't use me."

_Okay, so far so good._

"But I didn't expect this," she vaguely waved a hand between them. "I never thought that you loved me like this."

"But I do," he insisted. Needing a physical connection, he reached for her hands and held them in his. "I don't see the problem."

Alex sighed. "If I said yes, and we got married… would I ever really know if you want me or just the chance to do right by a child?" He was about to protest, but she quickly continued. "Bobby, I've seen you with children. I've seen you with my nephew. You love children. Maybe I should have known better. Maybe I should have realized how much of yourself you would invest in this because of your own childhood. But honestly, it wouldn't have mattered. I knew I wanted a child – your child – and that I'd want you involved in that child's life. I would have wanted that no matter what." She stopped to search his eyes and he desperately wished he knew what it was she sought.

"I just never expected marriage to come up." Her fingers clutched his tightly. "It feels like you're asking because it's the right thing to do … not because it's what you want"

He brought his left hand up to cradle the side of her face and Alex leaned into the touch. "Alex, I love you," he said fiercely. "This … you … make me happier than I ever thought possible. All this time I was too afraid of … of changing things. Too afraid of losing what we already had." He paused, trying to determine if he was getting through to her. "Please don't punish me because I'm a coward," he whispered.

Alex gasped and her eyes widened. "Bobby Goren…" her voice took on a scolding tone. "You are many things, including an ass every once in a while, but you are no coward." Mirroring his gesture, Alex brought her left hand up to his cheek, caressing his stubble with her thumb. "I think you're the bravest man I know…"

Bobby leaned down to kiss her, slowly and gently – savoring the softness of her lips beneath his. When he started to pull away, Alex clung to the kiss and soft, contented sounds vibrated from her throat into his mouth. Sighing she pulled away and he rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"So… if I'd said something first," and Bobby couldn't believe it had come to this, "we'd be okay now, is-is that what you're saying? Because as far as I can tell… we'd be at the same place we are right now. Me wanting to marry you and both of wanting to have a child."

Alex tilted her head to kiss his neck then pulled back to look in his eyes. "If I promise to think about it, will you promise not to ask again?"

"If I don't ask, how will I know when you've answered?"

"You'll know."

_TBC …_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – The fifth and final chapter REALLY wanted to be written, while this one REALLY didn't. I finally had to just post it so I can move on. It's a bit 'over-the-top' but at this point, it is what it is…

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Chapter 4 - **Hope**

He was in his own apartment in the middle of a workday and Bobby was antsy. Nothing about this felt good. The Sawyer case was stalled until the next morning when the kid's parents were due back from a trip to Europe, but there was still a lot of other work to be done. Instead he was here… waiting for Alex and dreading it.

Earlier that day when he abruptly got up from his desk to get a cup of coffee, it didn't take long for Alex to follow him into the break room. He was briskly stirring his coffee – why, he didn't know since he was drinking it black with no sugar – and turned his head when he heard her walk in.

"Hey," she greeted him, leaning her hip against the counter.

"Hi."

"I need…" she paused then began again. "Can we go to your place for lunch today?"

Bobby hesitated as a wisp of something akin to fear brushed his heart. Wishing he understood the meaning of this unusual request, he simply agreed. "Sure. When do you want to leave?"

"I need to do something first. Can I meet you there … around 12:30?"

"Okay."

She'd left the squad room soon after that and an hour later Bobby had taken a cab to his apartment. It was now 12:45 and she still hadn't arrived. Once again he looked out the windows to the street below, but the likelihood of her actually finding a parking space on his block was remote.

He knew why he was so wound up and it had nothing to do with work or the need to get back to One PP. Bobby feared the reason she wanted to meet was to end everything – to tell him that the disappointments were too painful. She'd been crying that morning, he knew it. And although he would agree that all of this was hard to bear, he wasn't ready to let go and he was determined to convince her that he was right.

"Fuck!" Just as he swore in frustration, he heard a knock at the door. _God, that better be Alex._ "It's open."

She walked in the door with an annoyed look on her face. "You really shouldn't do that, you know. You don't know who's going to walk in."

"I figure one look at me and my badge and they'll run in the other direction."

Alex just shook her head and locked the door behind her. Standing in the entryway, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, looking anxious and uncertain.

"Can I get you anything? Coffee?" Bobby wished she would relax because she was making his case of nerves even worse. "A glass of wine?"

"I can't."

_That's right, still on duty. Alex Eames – by the book._

Finally she walked into his living room and aimlessly wandered around, running her fingers over a few books he had on the shelves and picking up a handmade ceramic sculpture she'd told him a long time ago was a favorite of hers.

Her back was to him and he couldn't stand it anymore. "Alex…" Bobby decided to just blurt it all out – everything he'd been thinking about for the last hour and a half. "We can go to a specialist – the… the doctor you used for your sister's surrogacy."

"What?" she spun around to face him looking shocked and confused.

"I'll do… whatever tests…"

"Bobby…"

"We can do whatever procedures… "

"Bobby!" her voice was insistent as she grabbed both his hands and held them in a tight grip to get his attention. Looking into her eyes, he tried to turn off his thoughts and words so he could focus on her. He swallowed against the choking feeling in his throat.

Her eyes never leaving his, Alex released his left hand and reached into her jacket pocket. He felt her place something in his palm and looked down to see a small "Evidence" bag containing two long strips of white plastic. More confused than ever, he frowned and looked back at Alex, but she just smiled at him. Bobby turned the bag over and saw that there was a patch of blue at the end of each plastic stick. It took a heartbeat or two for his brain to register what his eyes were seeing.

_The stick is blue._

"Is this…" his heart was pounding and he suddenly felt like he couldn't get enough air. "Alex… is this… are you…?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Oh my God!" His arms wrapped around her waist and her arms wound around his neck and he couldn't stop kissing whatever part of her was beneath his lips at the time – her shoulder, her neck, her ear, her cheek… her mouth. That's where he lingered – hard at first as excitement drove his need. But then he was struck with the realization of the gift she offered. The kiss softened as they held tight to each other, murmuring nothing and everything against their lips. Hums of contentment and moans of awe were exchanged and swallowed.

Finally, Bobby pulled away to cup her face in his hands. Her eyes shimmered and her lashes were wet and he realized now why she'd been crying that morning. "Are you sure?"

Alex nodded. "I went out and bought three more kits, each a different brand. They all came back positive."

Was there ever anything more beautiful than Alex at this moment? He wanted this image burned into his brain, seared into memory. This would be the moment he would cling to as he drew his final breath, taken with him to whatever eternity may exist in death.

He leaned down to kiss her – their lips meeting and parting briefly before once more clinging with need. His tongue lapped at hers as he softly tasted Alex and swore he would never forget her flavor.

"Let me make love to you," Alex whispered into his mouth.

_Let her? _God, he was still amazed he didn't have to beg her …

_TBC…_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER RATED "M" for Explicit Sex - seriously**

A/N - If you've already read this chapter and, for some reason, you're re-reading it, you may notice a few 'tweaks.' I thought it could be a little better.

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Chapter 5 - **Hope**

"Bobby… close your eyes," she whispered. "And keep them closed."

Seeing no need to argue, Bobby did as she asked and Alex began to serve him what would be a feast of sensory pleasures.

_The whisper of a silk tie sliding under the collar of a cotton dress shirt. The taste of Alex and too-sweet coffee. Fingers grazing his chest while buttons were undone. Fabric sliding down his arms and the smell of his cologne mixed with fresh sweat as his tee-shirt was tugged over his head. Alex's warm breath and small, teasing licks of her tongue caressing his skin. Palms smoothing over the muscles of his arms, shoulders and chest. Hums of approval._

He tried to wrap his arms around her, but Alex gripped his forearms and pushed them down to his sides. "Be still," she breathed against his skin.

_The jangle of a belt buckle, the rasp of a zipper. Blessed release for hard, straining flesh. Cool air on hot skin before a small hand wrapped around him, stroking and caressing. Her thumb swirling pearlescent fluid over the curve of sensitive flesh. A groan he recognized as his own._

Alex was lowering herself before him, pulling on his arms until he sat on the couch. She needed only a little help to have him totally naked with her kneeling between his knees.

To his total frustration, she was still fully-clothed. Bobby tried to slide her jacket off, but Alex held his wrists and again pushed him away.

_Her hand on him, setting an even pace along his entire length. Her tongue teasing his flat nipple, teeth grazing it then catching the hard tip in a gentle nip. Soft kisses trailing from his chest down to his stomach._

Bobby swallowed hard in anticipation of where this was leading.

A pause in sensations, sweet moist breath replaced her hand, and then Bobby died. He knew he died because heaven engulfed him, and it was warm and wet with a silken tongue. Lips firmly encircled him and slid down his length ahead of the suction that pulled him deeper. The slide back up included teeth that could threaten injury, but instead gently scraped sensitized skin and brought him to screaming awareness.

_Maddeningly steady rhythm of mouth sucking, lips tugging, tongue stroking. _

If he weren't already dead she would be killing him.

Bobby fisted the edges of the couch cushion to keep from gripping her head and forcing more than she could take. He needed to thrust but couldn't and in his head two words pleaded in time to Alex's tempo – _no… more… no… more… no…_

"No more!" He grabbed her upper arms and pulled Alex up to his chest. One hand wrapped around the back of her head, holding her in place as he slanted his mouth over hers and pushed his tongue between her lips. She opened to him and he tasted his own brine and musk in the warm recess of her mouth. Alex's tongue slid along his and Bobby's self-control was ready to snap.

His free hand was at the button and zipper of her pants trying to open them, but the angle was awkward and he grunted against her mouth in frustration. "Take these off," he groaned.

Alex pulled away and stood before him. She kicked off her shoes then quickly shimmied out of her slacks and panties while Bobby enjoyed the show. Her jacket landed somewhere near his arm chair.

Too slowly to suit him, Alex climbed onto his lap, straddling his thighs and running her hands over his chest. "This too," he said and he pulled the sleeveless sweater over her head. He considered removing her bra, but it was black lace and sexy as hell so it stayed.

Her mouth was on his and Bobby again cradled her head, controlling the kiss as his tongue stroked and caressed inside her. His other hand was at the small of her back, pressing her closer to him and he felt wet softness against hard heat. Alex raised up and slid her hand between their bodies, holding and positioning him before pushing back down to his lap. His groan blended with her whimper as her body took all of him in one slow slide.

One hand cupped a lace-covered breast and his thumb teased her nipple through the fabric. As he slowly pushed his hips up into her, Alex sucked his tongue and he swallowed her sweet cry of need.

When she started to move, her sensuous rhythm stroked him with velvet heat. She set a deliberate pace – he controlled the kiss, but she controlled this. Already pushed so close to the edge, he was now desperate for air. Bobby broke away from their kiss, panting against her neck. He gripped her hips and held on as he bucked into her and she rocked against him on the upstroke. Black lace rubbed against his chest – her mouth nipped and soothed small bites on his shoulder.

And then he knew she was ready to come. Alex gasped and her hands gripped his shoulders. "Bob…bee…" she sobbed into his ear before her hips pumped hard against him. Her head was thrown back and she arched into him as her orgasm hit hard and fast. She hoarsely called out for him, gasping with each wave of ecstasy. Bobby's own shouts of release echoed – his body tensed. He thrust up into her, shuddering as his semen hotly spilled from him and his thighs flexed to bury himself as deeply as possible.

With a low moan, she collapsed onto his chest and nestled her head against his neck. Placing soft kisses on his shoulder, Alex whimpered as she rode out the aftershocks of pleasure. Bobby relaxed into the comfort of the couch and buried his face in her damp hair, breathing her in.

Her fingers caressed his neck, playing with the hair that had grown too long and was in need of a cut. She seemed to be enjoying the short curls.

"You know something?" she murmured against his shoulder.

"Hmmm… ?"

She sat up straight and brought her hand up to rest against his cheek. "You have…" she rubbed her thumb back and forth over his bottom lip, "the biggest …" on the next pass, he kissed her thumb, "smile."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really."

"Um hmmm…" she hummed as her hips continued a slow rhythm.

"Smile. That's what you're going with," he said with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Alex caught her bottom lip between her teeth and he could tell she was fighting against a large grin. "Um hmmm…."

"That's not my smile you're riding." Her grin broke through and she started to laugh. "Although…" Bobby grabbed her waist and she yelped in surprise. Pulling her off his lap, he flipped her to lay on her back on the couch beside him, one leg bent beneath her and the other draped across his thighs. Alex was laughing so hard she was breathless. Chuckling, he took pity on her and settled for satisfying himself by smoothing her hair from her face as her laughter died down to a smile.

Sighing, Bobby laid his palm on her stomach and spread his fingers wide. He supposed that the skin and muscle beneath his hand weren't as taut and smooth as they once were, but that didn't matter to him. He was awed by the fact that this time he would be here to see her abdomen grow and swell with life.

"How long until I can feel him?"

"Him?"

"Her…?"

Alex indulgently shook her head and gave him a crooked smile. "Sometime in the sixth month."

"Six months!"

"Maybe late in the fifth," she soothed.

Suddenly he needed to be out in the world with her and this new life of their creation. He brought his hands up to massage her calf. "I feel like doing something crazy."

"Crazier than having a child with your partner of six years?" Alex exaggerated her shocked expression.

He bent her leg and brought her knee up so he could kiss it. "That may be one of the sanest things I've ever done."

Alex's face sobered and her eyes softened.

"We need to do something to commemorate this day." He was now excited about the idea and cast about in his mind for something… unusual. "When's the last time you rode the Circle Line?"

"The Circle Line. The three-hour-boat-tour-around-the-island Circle Line?" Alex sounded appalled. "Third grade."

"What do you say?"

"I…" she started to protest he could tell, but then relented with a large sigh. "Okay." Funny how quickly he'd learned just what look to use to get his own way. But then again, she had a hundred ways of her own so it was hardly a fair fight.

"Great!" Bobby lightly slapped her thigh. "C'mon, get up. We have to get going if we want to make the next departure."

"You know the schedule?" Alex asked as he slid out from under her tangle of legs to stand up. He was about to reply when she groaned, "Never mind." He grinned then bent down to pick up his shirt.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah." He paused in gathering his clothes from the floor and looked up to see her lying on his couch stretching like a contented cat with a mysterious smile. _God, he loved this woman._

Alex rolled onto her side and propped her head on one hand. "Yes."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For years after he would tease her that she only said 'yes' to get him into bed so she wouldn't have to ride the damn Circle Line – not that he was complaining.

_End._

A/N-1: I never know whether or not people who leave reviews want to hear from the author, so I don't always do replies. Instead I'll take this opportunity to thank everyone for the encouragement and positive feedback. It's gratifying to me that my stories have been well-received in this fandom, especially "Progeny" and "Hope" since they're so different from what I usually write.

A/N-2: I can pretty much guarantee there will not be a sequel to this story. I will leave the "Married With Children" Bobby and Alex to the authors who do it so well, InfinityStar and B.Cavis ("The Natural" is a personal favorite!) to name just a couple.


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